Today Taryn Flake shares a devotional with us. In just a few verses Mark conveys what happens. "He can't save himself," they say. But that is what sacrifice is. Jesus saves us all.
Scripture: Mark 15:25-32
Mockery
It's 9 AM. Jesus has been crucified. He has “The King of the Jews” written on His cross, which Pilate had prepared, according to John’s gospel. Not only was crucifixion painful, but it was humiliating. Picture the gladiators fighting to the death in the Coliseum. The Romans were obsessed with using death as a form of entertainment. So those walking by the cross are mocking Christ as He hangs there in physical, emotional, and spiritual pain. Even the rebels to Jesus’ left and right are cited as hurling insults towards Jesus. In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John, Jesus hangs on the cross quietly, not responding to these insults, for about six hours.
This mockery is the fulfillment of Scripture. My Bible says, “Even when Jesus is dying, the religious leaders show their inhumanity by standing at the foot of the cross and gloating over their victory, pouring their mockery on the head of their dying victim.” Ironically, the mockers speak the truth in Jesus’ dying moments: He is the King of the Jews; He is going to destroy the temple (His body) and rebuild it in three days; He can’t save Himself (because He is dying in the place of others).
As we continue to reflect on the suffering and death of Jesus Christ on this Holy Wednesday before Easter, let us attempt to picture what it must feel like to absorb that mockery with silence, without reaction. This spectacle of death will turn into the fulfillment of Scripture. And Jesus will remain completely silent except in the very last moments of His life.
Questions:
When have you been mocked?
Are you able to respond to mockery with silence? Why?
Which of the Scripture verses speaks loudest to you today?
Prayer:
Dear God, We come to You on Holy Wednesday, reflecting on the suffering and death of Jesus. We know that this was a painful death. Help us to respond in silence to insults from others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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